Circular Motion
by JazziePerson
Summary: Title changed from "More Than One Pair of Eyes". Special Story written for the one year anniversary of the TV Prompt Challenge. Inspired by Bonus Challenge #17. Could be the sequel to Out and Into the Light but not necessarily.
1. Aaron Hotchner

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry. I meant to do this days ago but time got away from me so it's going up now. This is for sienna27's huge challenge. There will be one chapter for each character so I hope to get this up before I go away on the 20th. I hope you like it. This one is from Hotch's Point of View. This could be a follow-up to my story, _Out and Into the Light_ and I should be posting two or three chapters a day to make sure that I get this out before I go away. It's not necessarily a sequel but it could be. Please review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the original characters.

**Prompt Set: Bonus #12**

Show: Bonanza

Title Challenge: The Way of Aaron

**Prompt Set #15**

Show: Torchwood

Title Challenge: Something Borrowed

The Difference Between Being In Charge and In Control

I sat in the SUV, watching the house in which the UnSubs were. There were six of them, heavily armed and none of them cared anything for life. They were not going to come in easily. They were going to try and fight their way out and me and my team that were stopping them at the moment. While we were here, they were not going to leave and while they were in there, we weren't going to leave. We had to bring them in. It was our job. If we didn't get them, they'd kill again and keep killing. We were stuck in a standoff. One of us had to move.

And I wanted it to be us. If we moved, we had the advantage. With the advantage, we had more of a chance of overpowering them. Because I didn't think there was much of a chance of all of us getting out of this. They were packing guns and knives as far as we knew. And they could have more. So we had to do this right. If we didn't, we could be flying home with only five of us on the plane. Or less. At least Garcia was back in Quantico. At least she was safe.

But for now, I had to stay focussed. I had to stay on the ball so that there was at least a chance of all of us getting out.

"On my mark," I said into the radios. "Everyone check in."

"Morgan."

"Reid."

"Rossi."

"JJ, here."

"Prentiss, checking in." Emily shot me a sly grin as she checked in with me even though she was sitting next to me.

At least she still had a vague whisper of her sense of humour.

"Okay. Go, go, go!" I said into my radio and the whole team burst from the three SUVs and started running towards the house. I'd divided us into teams before we left the precinct. Morgan, Emily and I raced towards the front of the house while Dave, Reid and JJ stormed the back.

Morgan kicked in the front door but the minute we were inside, the whole place went dark.

"What the hell?" Morgan hissed.

There was a little light coming in from the street lamps outside but other than that, we were in complete darkness. I stood for a moment, my gun still held in my hands. Emily shot me an apprehensive look as she watched the closed front room door, her muscles tense. Morgan, as slowly and quietly as a hunting jungle cat, moved towards the bottom of the stairs. When he reached it, he stretched out and flicked on the light.

There was a crash from the back of the house and the three of us whirled in that direction. Morgan made for the hallway but before he could pass through, a bullet whizzed out in front of him, missing him but a hair's breadth. Leaping back with a yelp, he knocked into a hall table, sending a lamp flying and crashing to the ground.

The door that Emily had supposedly been watching flew open and hit Emily's outstretched arm. She shrieked as it connected with her elbow and she stumbled into me. I caught her and hoisted her upright again. Straight away, I saw that her right arm was hanging limply, her elbow at an odd angle. Her pistol had dropped to the ground. But as I was reaching for it, one of the men streaked out of the front room, armed with his own gun. He began firing over and over again and I ducked around the corner, dragging Emily with me. From what Garcia had told us, none of these men had much experience with firearms and so the aim was off, luckily. Really, he was in close enough range to hit me without much difficultly but I assumed that the adrenaline and lack of skill was inhibiting his aim. Whatever, I wasn't really bothered. I was still standing in one piece; that was what mattered to me. Emily moaned beside me; she was clearly in a lot of pain.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Morgan charge into another room. I prayed that he would be alright. But there was nothing I could do. With Emily's elbow broken by the look of it, I was going to have to keep her out of harm's way. And with six mad men hunting us in their own house, I wasn't optimistic.

Our guy came around the corner and I smashed my elbow into his face. He dropped his gun and dropped to his knees. I kicked him in the ribs and he crumbled. Before I could do anything else, there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Emily and I saw two more men come down, one carrying a machine gun. He started to fire.

"Run!" I shouted and ducking, dragged Emily into the room the room that Morgan had disappeared into. The pair of us collapsed onto the floorboards and Emily whimpered as her injured elbow connected with the floor. I yanked the door shut as I fell.

I glanced up and saw Morgan, Dave, Reid and JJ burst into the room. As I got back onto my feet, I winced. I touched my arm and wasn't surprised when my fingers came back bloody. I wiped the blood on my trousers. I'd had worse after all.

Looking at my team, I saw that JJ was in the worst state. Her face was white and although her right hand still gripped her gun, her left hand was clenched over her shoulder. Blood was dripping over her fingers.

"JJ?" Emily's voice was faint. "Are you okay?"

JJ nodded gingerly. "I'll be fine. What happened to you?" she inclined her head towards Emily's elbow.

Emily winced and gritted her teeth. "An accident with a door."

I almost smiled.

But then I saw the horror on Reid's face. "Hotch, duck."

I leapt to the ground and spun around to see the guy I'd broken the nose of charge into the room with a vase held aloft. Presumably he had been about to whack me in the back of the head with it. Before he could get any further however, Reid had his gun up and had shot a bullet, through the vase and into the guy's brain. He collapsed to the ground next to me. I glanced up at Reid.

"Thanks." I was surprised to find myself breathless.

Reid just looked at me. He even smiled a little.

"That's four of them down now," JJ spoke. I was surprised.

"Okay. That's two left." I took a deep breath, "How are we going to get out of this?"

I was met with four puzzled faces. Emily's was determined.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

Emily met my eyes for a moment and then turned to JJ. "Jayje, I lost my gun when I had my accident with the door. Can I borrow yours for just a minute?"

JJ nodded sceptically and handed it over. The rest of the team, me included, watched Emily with worried curiosity. She checked the clip and then looked up at us. Her face broke into a cocky smile. "Don't worry. Stand back."

She moved over to the door and with barely a backwards glance at the team, she raised her foot and smashed it against the centre of the door. It swung open and made a massive crack as it impacted with the wall. Less than a second later, Emily aimed, her left hand holding her injured arm and the gun up and fired. And then the door swung back and she pulled it closed, ducking out of direct range.

We all stopped and listened. There was a roar from outside as something that sounded very much like a body tumbled down the stairs.

Emily grinned and I smiled back at her. It was still okay. We were doing fine. We could get out of this.

But the bullets started coming through the door. We all jumped back reflexively and as I felt pain explode in my calf muscle, I knew I'd been to slow. I dropped to the floor and pressed my hands over the injury. It hurt like hell and my breath hissed out as the pain doubled.

"Hotch?" It was Emily's voice.

I looked up at her and the pain must've been evident on my face. She squatted down beside me and pressed her left hand above mine, her eyes on my face. I gritted my teeth.

Looking up at the rest of the team, I spoke. "There's still one more out there."

Dave nodded and took up his gun again. He and Morgan took to the side of the door and carefully, Morgan pushed it open. It only took Dave a few seconds to fire a shot that killed the last man dead. I heard the body collapse down the stairs. Emily smiled at me, relieved.

I shook my head at the absurdity of the situation. The pair of us sharing a relieved look as my blood covered our hands. And to boot, I was starting to feel light-headed.

I blinked, trying to focus on the task of staying conscious.

"Rossi? Morgan?" Emily shouted over her shoulder. "Get some paramedics in here!"

"You got it!" Morgan yelled back and I heard the faint buzz of speech as he spoke into his radio.

"Looks like we've been given another chance to go grey," Emily shot me a smirk.

I laughed shortly. It was all going to be fine. Emily was right. We had been given another chance. I'd known that at one point, something like this had been going to happen, that time would run out and something would go wrong. But this time, it hadn't. And for that, I was glad. Now we just had to get to the hospital.


	2. Haley Hotchner

**Author's Note: **Here's the second chapter. I don't think I'll get a third one up tonight but tomorrow definitely. Please review and I hope you enjoy it. This one is from Haley's Point of View. Thanks.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the original characters.

**Prompt Set: Bonus #12**

Show: Melrose Place

Title Challenge: Hook, Line & Haley

**Prompt Set #13**

Show: Grey's Anatomy

Title Challenge: Some Kind of Miracle

Jackness

I was eating dinner. It was just spaghetti bolognaise, nothing special. Jessica had said she'd come round but apparently something had happened and so she'd had to cancel. I couldn't remember what it was, not something hugely important but something that had to be done as soon as possible. Which had been the time that she'd been going to come for dinner.

I sighed as I fiddled with another forkful of pasta.

Aaron was supposed to be picking Jack up tonight. It was Friday and because of the long weekend, I'd agreed to let him have Jack until Tuesday morning. I just couldn't say no to Jack's happy little face.

I looked up to find him. He was there, where I'd thought he was, sitting in front of the television. I didn't usually let him watch anything in the evenings but I was tired and I just wanted a moment to myself. It had been a long week.

Mainly it had been a long week because of Aaron. He'd called on Monday morning to find out about the arrangements for this weekend and he'd asked to keep Jack until Tuesday morning. I know how much he loves spending time with our son, I know how hard it is to be without him. Whenever Jack goes to stay with him, I just feel so sort of lost. It's too quiet and I don't know what to do with myself. So I can understand the position I put Aaron in. But I can't let go of my boy. He's my baby and nothing will ever keep me away from him.

I agreed to let Aaron have him, but definitely reluctantly. And Aaron knew. Aaron always knows how I'm feeling without me having to say anything. That's the thing about being married to a profiler. They always know. There aren't any words for how frustrating it is. Or was. Is. I don't know. I may not be married to him anymore but he can still tell when I talk to him.

Aaron and I, well, since he started that job we just sort of fell away from each other. And even Jack couldn't connect us again. We never stopped loving each other, I think. We just couldn't be together while Aaron did that job. It was too hard and I couldn't take being alone with just Jack, every day. As much as I love him, he isn't a friend. I can't have a decent adult conversation with because simply, he's not an adult. It's not his fault. I don't think it's anyone's fault.

Jack laughed suddenly and I looked up. It was that high, exuberantly happy laugh that never failed to make me smile. It was that laugh that Jack could never contain when he was really happy and when he thought something was really, so hilariously funny.

I smiled. "Hey ,Jack, what's so funny?"

Jack looked up at me. He started laughing again, unable to get the words out. I just laughed with him, whatever it was, it probably wouldn't be funny to me anyway. But it was nice seeing him so happy. It always was.

The phone rang suddenly, making me jump. I put down my fork and got up. Picking up the phone, I pressed my hand over my other ear so that I would be able to hear the person on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

And what I heard brought the world crashing down.


	3. Emily Prentiss

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm back. I'll try to keep on top of this now I'm back from holiday. Because I live in the UK, I can't watch Criminal Minds! I know, I'm feeling the pain too. So if anyone knows an internet site where I can watch Season 6, please review and tell me. I'm suffering from withdrawal. Help me!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

**Prompt Set: Bonus #12**

Show: Bonanza

Title Challenge: Emily

**Prompt Set #4**

Show: Las Vegas

Title Challenge: One Nation Under Surveillance

Partner in Non-Crime

I'd never been good at the whole sit-and-wait-until-we've-got-further-information-thing. I just get impatient. And as scared as I always am, I just want to go in and get it over with. Also, the adrenaline makes me fidget and that really gets on Hotch's nerves. So now, I'm sitting on my hands because if I made him angry, then we were all in potentially more danger. Although, Hotch would never let his feelings get any one of the team hurt.

But today, Hotch was fidgeting as much as I was. I could tell he was worried and that he was sinking into the hole of doom – the hole of depressing thoughts about how one of them might not come out of that house alive.

I was about to say something when Hotch raised his wrist radio and spoke into it.

"On my mark," he said. "Everyone check in."

"Morgan."

"Reid."

"Rossi."

"JJ, here."

"Prentiss, checking in." I cocked my head to one side and grinned at Hotch. He really didn't need me to check in, after all, I was only sitting next to him. He glanced at me. I wasn't sure if what I saw was a brief smile or an involuntary twitch of the lips. Either, I felt a little pleased with myself.

"Okay. Go, go, go!" Hotch said and I forced the door of the SUV open. Together with Hotch and Morgan, I sprinted across the road towards the front door, drawing my gun from my holster as I ran. JJ, Reid and Rossi dashed towards the back of the house, intending to storm the back. I sent a little prayer after them.

I slowed a little so that Morgan could get in front of me. I stopped behind him, with Hotch behind me and watched as he kicked in the door. I'd just got over the threshold when the lights went out. I stopped abruptly to avoid bumping into Morgan and glanced around, my eyes slowly becoming accustomed to the dark.

"What the hell?" Morgan hissed as he whirled around.

I kept my gun trained on the door to my right. If someone came out of there, I needed to be ready so that no damage to myself, Hotch or Morgan occurred. I turned my head to catch Hotch's eye. In the dark, I could just make out his profile. A little bit of light was filtering in from outside and by it, I could just about see. I shot Hotch an apprehensive look. His gaze was firm, the way it always was.

I glanced back at the door and then over at Morgan who was slinking silently through the darkness towards the bottom of the stairs. He'd just reached the bottom of the stairs when there was an almighty crash from the back of the house. Hotch's head, Morgan's and mine all turned to look down the hallway and Morgan began to move towards the back but he'd taken less than two steps when a bullet whizzed out in front of him. For a moment, I thought it had hit him, the way he jumped back but a second later, I realised he was okay. He fell back and hit a table, knocking a lamp to the ground.

And then the door I'd been watching before, flew open and then pain exploded in my elbow. Hot, white pain seared up and down my arm, throbbing in my wrist, fingers, shoulder and elbow. A shriek forced its way passed my lips but I snapped my mouth shut before I threw up. I was so dizzy, for a moment, I wasn't sure I could breathe. But then a breath came rattling down my throat and I gasped. My head felt so hot and I almost fell to the floor.

I hit something warm, something in my brain told me it was Hotch. A hand curled around my undamaged arm, the one that felt pretty much numb and pulled me by it down the hallway. I could hear gunshots but they sounded far away, like the volume had been turned right down. My feet were moving, I couldn't get them under control. It was like the world was spinning and my feet were attempting to keep me upright. Maybe that's the way it was.

My back hit a wall. It was cold. I moaned, my eyes closed as I tried to get my breath properly. My concentration on my own breathing cleared the raging sound in my ears and a few seconds later, I heard a loud crack. It made me jump. I forced my eyes open and saw Hotch aim a kick at a man on the ground. The guy's nose was gushing blood and his gun clattered to the ground. There was thumping on the stairs and I looked up slowly to see legs appear at the top. Then I saw the barrel of a machine gun. Bullets began spewing out of it.

"Run!"Hotch yelled in my ear and dragged me through a door to my right. I hit the floor with a bang, Hotch right beside me. When I landed, my elbow jarred against the floor and I cried out as pain seared up and down my arm. There was a loud smash as the door closed.

I blinked slowly, trying to clear the mist from my eyes. Looking up, I saw Morgan, Dave, Reid and JJ crowded around myself and Hotch. The guys looked okay but JJ looked pale. I blinked again and she came further into focus. Blood was spilling down her Kevlar and shirt, and her hand was pressed over the source at her collar bone. I climbed up off the floor.

"JJ?" my voice was fainter than I'd thought it would be. "Are you okay?"

She nodded tentatively. "I'll be fine. What happened to you?" she indicated my arm with her head.

I looked down at it. It was bent out of shape, limp and floppy in the least comical way. Blood was spreading over the slightly mangled looking, ripped fabric of my shirt. I didn't want to know how it had ripped. "An accident with a door." I gritted my teeth. It hurt like hell.

I glanced over at Hotch whose face had almost creased into a smile. That made me feel slightly better.

"Hotch, duck!" Reid's voice sounded urgent. I spun around and ducked reflexively, like Hotch had. One of the men that was waiting in this house came through the doorway towards us. There was fresh blood on his face, I assumed it was the guy from earlier. He was holding a vase above his head, as if he was going to hit Hotch around the back of the head with it.

Before he could get any closer to any of us, Reid's gun arm was up and he'd fired. The bullet shot straight through the vase and into the guy's skull. His knees gave out under him and he hit the floor with a crack, dead. The vase smashed on the ground next to him.

I took a deep breath. Hotch glanced up at Reid and I followed his gaze.

"Thanks." Hotch was breathless.

Reid didn't say anything but his mouth twitched in a small smile.

"That's four of them down now," JJ spoke. I was surprised. I could see Hotch was too.

"Okay. That's two left." Hotch paused, "How are we going to get out of this?"

I tried to think. Glancing around at the others, I saw bewilderment and a sort of helplessness. We had two men, one who had a machine gun. Then I had an idea. I had to do this.

"What are you thinking?" Hotch sounded curious.

I met his eyes steadily. He needed to understand that I had to do this. A second later, I turned to JJ. "Jayje, I lost my gun when I had my accident with the door. Can I borrow yours for just a minute?"

JJ looked at me confused before handing over the pistol. Without seeing their faces, I could tell that the rest of the team was watching me with worried curiosity. I checked the clip and looked back up at them.

"Don't worry." I tried my best to sound cocky. "Stand back."

I moved over to the door. Without looking back at the team, I raised my foot and solidly kicked the centre of the door. It flew open and smashed against the door. I only had a second before it came back and I had to use it. Using my left arm to force my right arm up, I aimed and then fired. My whole arm was throbbing, making my head hurt but I forced myself to stay focussed. I could fall over later. The door swung back and I yanked it closed, moving out of the direct range of the machine gun fire.

Everyone froze, listening in the momentary silence. But then there was a thudding sound as something that sounded suspiciously like a body, tumbled down the stairs. There was a roar from the one remaining man. I flinched.

But then I grinned. Five down. One to go. We were going to get out of this. I caught sight of Hotch smiling at me. Okay, it was a little smile but it made me feel better, made the pain fade for a second.

There was silence. A few seconds of silence. And then bullets started ripping through the door and wall. I leapt back and in my peripheral vision, I saw the others do the same. I felt bullets zip past my legs and waist, none of them hitting me but a few cutting gashes as they sped by. But I wasn't concerned. I could deal with cuts.

But then I saw Hotch. He had collapsed on the ground and he had his hands pressed over his calf muscle. I was confused until I saw the blood.

"Hotch?"

He glanced up at me, his face creased in pain. I squatted down beside him and for a second, I wasn't sure what to do. The pain in his eyes decided for me. I reached out and pressed my hand over his, my eyes never leaving his. I didn't fail to notice the way he set his jaw. It had to hurt like hell.

He looked away, up at the team who were standing above us. "There's still one more out there." He said. His voice was steely, the same voice he'd used when he'd told Reid off for breaking the copier last week. It was the voice that meant business, the don't-mess-with-me voice.

Dave nodded briskly and unholstered his gun. Moving almost silently, he stopped at the doorframe, Morgan right behind him. They shared a look before Morgan pushed open the door. It didn't even take Dave a minute to shoot the guy dead. I heard the body topple down the stairs, much like the last one.

I smiled at Hotch, relieved that it was over. We'd all made it out.

Hotch shook his head, a small smile playing with his lips. I could see him assessing the situation and thinking about the strangeness of it, his hands and mine covered in his own blood as we shared a relieved smile. I could see his point. I felt the same. I felt so free, and my chest felt light. But then, that could've been the blood loss talking. But I preferred to think it was pure euphoria.

Hotch blinked forcefully and I suddenly realised how much blood he was losing. It wouldn't be enough to kill him, thank God, but it was enough to make him feel seriously light-headed and dizzy.

I looked over my shoulder. "Rossi? Morgan? Get some paramedics in here!"

"You got it!" Morgan yelled back from the hallway. I heard some static from his radio but then tuned out to focus on Hotch.

I thought about what had happened, probably only minutes ago now. He'd protected me, made sure I was safe while incapacitated. He'd kept me safe and dragged me out of at least the immediate danger. I wanted to thank him, wanted to tell him how much that meant to me and how much I trusted him. But I didn't know what to say or how to say it.

"Looks like we've been given another chance to go grey." When in doubt, turn to humour, I thought to myself.

Hotch barked a laugh. I grinned. Everything was going to be fine.


	4. Elizabeth Prentiss

**Author's Note: **Second post of the night. Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks guys. I've missed you all reviewing :)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

**Prompt Set: Bonus #12**

Show: Matlock

Title Challenge: The Ambassador

**Prompt Set #10**

Show: Happy Days

Title Challenge: Like Mother, Like Daughter

Some Things Just Ain't Worth It

Emily and I, I suppose were always bound to turn out the same way. Psychologists have always told me when dealing with a child Emily, that children take their cues from their parents. They always said – very politely of course – that maybe that was why Emily was always very reserved as a little girl. But then, she got older, and she got more rebellious. That definitely didn't come from me; I wasn't always the child Emily had been, up until... well, I was still that reserved person, just in an adult body. The confidence had come but never that rebellious nature that had developed in Emily from age fifteen. She'd been bad. She refused to speak to me properly, and her appearance changed. She went from that cute, dark haired girl with bright brown eyes to a dark teenager with jet black hair, cold eyes and a colder attitude. We'd just rotated back from Italy and were staying on American soil for about six months. I'd had Emily enrolled in a High School but she'd been doing badly, just managing not to fail most of her classes. And when I asked her what was going on, she shouted me out of her bedroom and slammed the door in my face. There had been lots of that. Shouting, slamming doors and then just silence. That's what I hated the most: that unnatural silence.

And then it all sort of dissipated. The rebellious behaviour, the dark make up and dyed hair. It all sort of seeped away. She was still quiet but she smiled a little bit more and her grades began to rise again. I don't know what happened. I don't know what changed, even now.

I remember asking her.

_I walked down the hallway. My heels clicking on the marble floors were the only sounds in the whole house. I marched up the stairs to my daughter's bedroom. It was at the back of the house and although, Emily had been offered all of the larger rooms, she had declined and asked for a small room. I was bemused but I let her do as she wanted._

_I knocked on the door. There was a moment of silence as if Emily was deciding whether or not to open the door but then there was the sliding of the little bolt she'd put on herself. The door opened a fraction and I saw Emily's left eye, looking at me with that old child-like inquisitiveness. Her eyebrow was raised a little as if she was surprised to see me there. I tried to smile at her._

"_Mother." She acknowledged my presence with a tiny smile._

"_Emily." The door opened maybe an inch more. "Are you okay?"_

"_I'm fine, Mother. Why wouldn't I be?" Emily's tone was surprised but I couldn't tell whether she was putting on a show for me, like she did for everyone else. _

"_You've been a bit..." I thought about my words. Emily had a flammable temper at the best of times. "Not yourself these last few weeks."_

"_I'm fine." Emily repeated. "Was there anything you wanted?"_

_I shook my head. "No. I just wanted to... I just wanted to see if you were alright."_

"_I am." And with that the door closed in my face again. At least it hadn't been slammed this time. _

And after that, things had gone back to normal. Well as normal as life with Emily ever was. I never knew what she was up to and really, there was no way for me to know whether she was getting better from that phase or whether she'd just got better at hiding it from me. I don't know. Maybe I won't ever know.

She could be up to terrible things and I wouldn't know. It's awful how little I know about my own daughter. It's too late now though. She won't let me in and I can't blame her.

The way she was brought up, the way I brought her up meant that she chose the job she does. Not directly, but the way she is, the way she lives her life makes that job something she has to do. It drives her, every second she lives, she breathes that job. It's who she is. And it's all my fault. Maybe if I'd been a better mother to her, maybe if I'd had a normal job that didn't require moving country every year or so. Whatever it is, I know it's my fault. And I can't go back.

Like Mother, like daughter, people used to say. But that tended to be targeted towards the way we looked but now it has a different meaning to me. Now I know that she was always going to be like me. I live in danger and now, she hunts it. She hunts and catches the monsters under the bed and the ones in the shadows.

The phone rings, pulling me out of my thoughts. I pick up the receiver.

"Hello?" All calls are passed through my personal assistant so no need for too formal language. It is my home phone number after all; nothing relating to work would be put through here.

What I hear on the other end makes me leave so fast that I don't put back the handset. It was time to make things right, if I could.


	5. David Rossi

**Author's Note: **Hi guys! Remember me? I know, it's been ages. But in my defence, I went on a massive holiday, started Y11 and did my mock exams, all in the last four months. Calling it hectic is an understatement. Anyway, I'm back now and I've been reinspired to write. So PLEASE review – it's almost Christmas :) – and I hope you enjoy this!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.

**Prompt Set: Bonus #12**

Show: Lost

Title Challenge: Dave

**Prompt Set #9**

Show: Justice League

Title Challenge: A Better World

Getting the Scumbags

Reid and I sat in the SUV, about a hundred feet away from Hotch and Emily's. We were waiting on his mark, waiting for him to give the call and tell us we were going in. I'd been on so many raids. It's a science, like an equation that Reid would know inside out. You go in, you get them, and you get out alive. That's the way it works. Or the way we all hope it works.

Reid was fidgeting. I know Morgan finds it frustrating but I don't mind it; I don't really notice it. That's probably why Aaron paired us all the way he did. I don't mind Reid's fidgeting, Morgan does. JJ and Morgan get along pretty well most of the time and Aaron, consciously or not, often pairs himself with Emily. I don't know what it is but there's something going on there. They seem calmer around each other, more motivated and more focussed. It's strange, that effect they have on each other. But no one will say anything. It helps the team and they're good for each other. So no one with say anything.

"On my mark," Aaron's voice suddenly ordered over the radio. "Everyone check in."

"Morgan."

"Reid." Reid was still restless. I guess he's like Emily in that respect.

"Rossi." I checked in.

"JJ, here."

"Prentiss, checking in."

There was a pause. I tensed and I felt Reid do the same. I wanted to go.

"Okay. Go, go, go!" Aaron's order was almost a relief. Both Reid and I were out of the car in seconds and racing towards the house, just behind Aaron, Emily, Morgan and JJ. While Emily, Morgan and Aaron made for the front door, JJ, Reid and I veered off down the pathway that ran around the house. We moved low, avoiding being seen through the windows. Reaching the back door, I was first and with one swift Morgan-esque kick, the door was opened and the three of us moved in. The door crashed against the adjacent wall, creaking on its hinges.

We were standing in a little kitchen with a floor of clichéd black and white tiles. We stood still for a moment, slightly unsure of which way to move. I exchanged glances with JJ who was just moving forward when there was suddenly the sound of bullets, the slam of a door and a high-pitched, haunting scream from the front of the house. We moved towards the doorway but at that moment, two men appeared in said doorway. The first one, the taller one was smirking at us and before any of us had a chance to move, raised his gun and fired. In my direction.

I leaped out of the way just in time to see the bullet imbedded in the cupboard unit behind me. Then there was another bang. I glanced up to see JJ's smoking gun and the first guy crumpled on the floor in a heap. Never mess with JJ. She isn't called a crack shot lightly.

A second after that shot was fired, another one was heard, this time fired by the second man. The bullet caught JJ in the shoulder and she cried out in pain. She was thrown back against the work top and slid down it slightly, towards the floor. I whirled back in time to see a bullet from Reid's gun enter the guy's forehead at the same moment as a bullet from Morgan's came through. The guy went down like a sack of bricks.

Morgan took a long breath and then turned to Reid. "You okay, kid?"

Reid was looking pale and sort of shocked. He nodded slowly, his eyes still on the body.

I turned away and moved over to JJ. She was blinking very fast and all the colour was draining out of her face. "Are you okay, JJ?" I asked slowly.

She met my eyes after a moment and almost seemed to shake off the shock. "Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm okay." I didn't believe for a second that she was okay. She'd just taken a bullet to the shoulder, for God's sake. But she was holding on. She knew that we weren't in a position to fall apart.

"Here," I held out my hand. She took it and I helped her to her feet. She was a little unsteady for a moment but after a second, she was okay. She even smiled a tight smile at me.

She opened her mouth to say something when there was a loud shout from the hallway behind us. We all whirled around just as there was the slam of a door. Morgan raced into the room he'd arrived from with Reid, JJ and I right behind him.

Inside, we saw Aaron and Emily flat on the floor. Emily's skin was turning a bit grey and her right elbow was soaked with blood and bent at a strange angle. She looked a bit shaky as she stood. Hotch stood up too, wiping his bloody knuckles on his trousers.

"JJ? Are you okay?" Emily asked. Her eyes seemed a little hazy.

JJ nodded slowly. "I'll be fine. What happened to you?"

Emily gritted her teeth. It was as if, by asking about it, JJ had brought back the pain. "An accident with a door."

My lips twitched. As grim as the situation was, it was so Emily to say something like that.

There was a second of silence before Reid spoke.

"Hotch, duck!"

Aaron leapt to the ground and when he moved, I saw what Reid had shouted about. A man with crumpled-looking, bloody nose had come up behind Aaron with a vase held in the air. Presumably, he'd been about to smash it into Aaron's skull but Reid had already raised his gun. There was an ear-splitting bang as a bullet shot straight through the guy's head and he toppled to the ground, landing in a heap. Everybody looked over at Reid.

Aaron, still on the floor, met his eyes. "Thanks."

Reid smiled tightly but his eyes were a bit glazed.

JJ's eyes crossed every face in the team. "That's four of them down now."

Aaron took a deep breath. "Okay. That's two left. How are we going to get out of this?"

I thought carefully. Yes, there were six of us and two of them but both Emily and JJ were injured. We could easily go out all guns blazing but, if we did that, more of us could get injured or worse case scenario, get killed.

"What are you thinking?" Aaron asked. I looked up. He was talking to Emily.

Emily met his eyes and then turned to JJ. "Jayje, I lost my gun when I had my accident with the door. Can I borrow yours for just a moment?"

JJ nodded. Her scepticism was clear but we all trusted each other with our lives, so she handed over her weapon. Emily carefully took it with her left hand and checked the clip. After a second she looked up at us. She grinned. I assumed it was the adrenaline.

"Don't worry." She sounded almost cheerful. "Stand back."

She moved towards the door they'd come through, her feet barely making a noise. Without a backward glance, she kicked hard against the door. It flew open and in the seconds before it ricocheted off the adjacent wall, she hauled her right arm up using her left and fired the gun. The door swung back and she pulled it closed before moving out of the way.

We were all silent, listening for any sound that would indicate the outcome of her shot. There was a yell and then the unmistakeable sound of something tumbling down the stairs. Something that sounded remarkably like a body.

Emily turned to grin at us. She was completely out of it, almost hysterical on the adrenaline that must've been powering her body. But it was good. The pain she would've been in otherwise would have completely destroyed her ability to keep going and the ability for the team to keep functioning in the situation.

There was a moment of almost peaceful silence before bullets started zipping through the door. We all dived out of the way, crashing to the floor. Emily was almost instantly on her feet again, with Morgan right behind her. I clambered back up and heard the others do the same. But Aaron was still on the ground. And when I really looked I saw the blood leaking out from under his hands. They were clasped around his calf muscle and his face was twisted in pain.

"Hotch?" Emily was already beside him, crouching down. She looked him in the face for a moment before pressing her left hand over his. He let out a hiss of pain.

"There's still one more out there." Despite the obvious pain, Hotch looked up at us.

I nodded and pulled out my gun again, cocking it. I moved towards the door and stood against the frame. Morgan had followed me and took up position on the other side. He met my eyes for a moment and then pushed the door open again. I fired as soon as I had a fix on the last man and watched with satisfaction as his collapsed down the stairs. As he hit the bottom, his neck snapped, the sound echoing around the hallway. Morgan moved forward to check he was actually dead even though it was pretty obvious. Satisfaction spread across his own face when he confirmed it.

For a second, I let the relief wash over me. We were all alive. We were all relatively okay. That was definitely a good feeling.

"Rossi? Morgan?" It was Emily's voice. Emily's very relieved voice. "Get some paramedics in here!"

"You got it!" Morgan shouted back as he pulled out his cell phone.

I smiled. With paramedics on the way, everything was going to be fine.


	6. Erin Strauss

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Here's the next chapter of this monster. Please please please review. Also, I'm thinking about changing the name, so anyone got any ideas?

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing :(

**Prompt Set: Bonus #12**

Show: Bonanza

Title Challenge: Erin

**Prompt Set #8**

Show: Spongebob Squarepants

Title Challenge: The Graveyard Shift

Administrative Complications

Sometimes the job is awful. Sometimes the pay and the beneficial elements just don't make up for the things it takes away. This job is what I wanted to do, what I always wanted to do. I wanted to help people but I knew I was never going to be an 'in-the-field' person. It's just a job but the pay and the political power is good. I run a unit who saves lives but I'm safe here. This is what I do and what I'm glad I do.

But sometimes, it's bad. My family have been torn apart and it's because of this job. It happened to me and I know it happens to other people. I know Agent Hotchner's marriage fell apart because of it. I may not gossip or be the cause of it, but I have my sources and I hear these things. it's a hard existence this job forces upon you and I know the BAU main team suffer under it. They work hard, turn in good paperwork and closes case. But sometimes they can be a royal pain to deal with.

They're loyal to the last, every single one of them. There have been many conversations flying around the bullpen, questioning whether they would take the bullet for each other. I think they would. They're all hard workers, they're not slackers by anyone's standards but sometimes they cut corners to solves cases. And although Agent Hotchner always argues that lives have been saved and that another criminal has been put behind bars, it is difficult to explain that to the various lawyers and officials.

That's their problem. If they played by the rules a hundred percent of the time, then I would have no problem. I would leave them alone to continue their work but the way they behave causes trouble for everyone. If it isn't corrected now, one of them is going to get another of them or a complete strange killed. They could lose their jobs, lose their careers and lose their lives.

But none of them seem to mind. They all keep going, they way they always have because they believe they are doing the right thing by putting their lives on the line for another human being. That's why they do it: to save lives.

And this case. This is a bad case. Hotchner called in before they left for the raid. Six armed men hiding out in a house and they were preparing to walk right in there. It's almost suicide. They've been on cases like this before. There's always a chance that one of them won't come back but I don't think there's ever been such a big risk to their lives.

I'm still waiting for them. I'm still waiting for Agent Hotchner to call me and tell me that they've got the whole lot of them and that they're on the way home to Quantico, that they're all fine.

And that's when I hear the phone ring. It's Agent Rossi.


	7. Derek Morgan

**Author's Note: **Hey guys. I know it's been a long time but I'm really sorry. Life is busy and crazy and I'm still not really on top of it. But I saw this file and realised it was finished. So I proofed and here it is. Please review. Having been away from Fanfiction for a long time, I'd forgotten how good it felt to get them and getting one yesterday was awesome. So please do review. Thank you.

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own anything.

**Prompt Set: Bonus #12**

Show: Gunsmoke

Title Challenge: Morgan

**Prompt Set #11**

Show: Dawson's Creek

Title Challenge: High Risk Behaviour

Team Player First, Last and Always

I was sitting in the SUV, my fingers drumming against the steering wheel. We'd been sitting outside this house for about twenty minutes and I was getting antsy. I hated the sitting around and waiting. I wanted to get out there, get into the fray.

JJ was sat beside me, staring out of the window at the house, her fingers playing absently with her long hair. Even tied up, it fell over her shoulders. In the shadows, I could see her feet jiggling, bouncing her legs up and down. She wanted to get out there too. I could feel it.

Glancing back, I saw the outline of Rossi and Reid's SUV down the road. All lights were off but I could tell it was them. I could see the flutter of paper and I assumed it was Reid flicking through the case files, presumably trying to find out something that could help all of us.

Then Hotch's voice cracked through the radio. I know I jumped and I think JJ did too.

"On my mark," his voice said, "Everyone check in."

"Morgan." I obeyed.

"Reid."

"Rossi."

"JJ, here." JJ's voice was a little shaky but I'm sure only I noticed that.

"Prentiss, checking in."

There was a moment of silence.

And then, "Okay. Go, go, go!" Hotch ordered and I threw myself out of the SUV, slamming the door behind me. JJ was only a second behind and then we were sprinting towards the house on the heels of Hotch and Prentiss. We all drew our weapons, ready to take out the people inside if we had to. JJ skittered away from me, heading for the back with Rossi and Reid right behind her.

I overtook Hotch and Prentiss and kicked in the door. I darted inside and the second we were over the threshold the whole house, or the bit of it in our sights, went dark. I stopped suddenly.

"What the hell?"

Apart from the light coming from behind us, we were in complete darkness. I didn't move, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. I kept hold of my gun and moved slowly towards the bottom of the stairs. I flicked on the light.

There was a sudden crash from the back of the house. I whirled around and heard Hotch and Emily do the same. I made my way down the hallway but before I could get to what I presumed was the kitchen, there was an ear-splitting bang from the door beside me. I leaped back just as a bullet sped past me. I yelped and having jumped back, collided with hall table and knocked a lamp onto the floor.

There was a crash from behind me and I heard Emily scream. I was about to turn around when another bullet missed me by less than a centimetre. I dived into the room and with only a split second of time, I saw the guy's wide eyed stare as he aimed his gun at my face. Before he could fire however, I pulled the trigger of my own hand gun. The guy's eyeballs rolled backwards in his head as he collapsed to the floor. His skull made a horrible crack as it connected with the floor. I tried to ignore the maniacal look in the dead man's eyes.

There were the sounds of shooting of shooting coming from behind me in the hallway when I heard a piercing scream from the back of the house where we'd originally heard the crash. I didn't stop to think, I just raced through the adjoining door into what was revealed to be the kitchen. JJ was collapsed against the kitchen surface, her gun at her feet and her hand over her shoulder. Blood was spilling out from underneath her fingers. It was a gut reaction. My gun was level with the guy's head before he could fire another bullet and then bullets out of both mine and Reid's gun sent him sprawling to the floor.

I took a long, shuddering breath. "You okay, kid?"

Reid looked slightly stunned. He nodded.

Rossi was at JJ's side. "Are you okay, JJ?"

JJ met his eyes and seemed to take a second to focus on him. She sort of shook herself. "Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm okay."

"Here," Rossi gave JJ his hand and carefully helped her onto her feet.

She opened her mouth to thank him when there was a shout from the hallway. We all whipped around and there was the sudden slam of a door. I dashed into the room I'd previously exited. JJ, Reid and Rossi were right behind me.

I burst through the door to see Hotch and Emily collapsed on the floor. Emily looked pale, and her elbow looked mangled, all bloodied and twisted. She was almost biting through her lip as she climbed unsteadily onto her feet. Hotch stood up too, wiping his hands on his trousers. He had blood on his knuckles.

"JJ?" Emily's voice was shaking. "Are you okay?"

I glanced sideways at JJ. She was pale and sort of frail-looking. She and Emily actually bore a great deal of resemblance in that respect. But JJ nodded, if gingerly. "I'll be fine. What happened to you?"

I winced as I looked at Emily's elbow. It had to be agonizing. I reckoned the adrenaline was, at the moment, keeping her from feeling too much pain.

I could see Emily gritting her teeth. "An accident with a door."

If the situation hadn't been so dire, I think I would've laughed. Emily was like that. She tended to cover situations with a sarcastic or witty comment.

For a moment, we just stood there and then Reid broke the relative silence.

"Hotch, duck!"

We all swerved in that direction and Hotch leapt to the ground. A guy with an obviously shattered nose had charged into the room behind Hotch with a vase held above his head. I assumed that he'd been about to break it over Hotch's head. But before he could do so, a bullet from Reid's gun had entered the guy's forehead. His eyes rolled back in his head and his knees cracked against the floorboards as he hit the ground. We all glanced at Reid.

Hotch looked up at him from the floor. "Thanks." He was breathless.

Reid smiled tightly. He looked a bit like he was in shock.

JJ looked around at the rest of us. "That's four of them down now."

"Okay. That's two left." Hotch breathed in slowly, calming himself down after the shock. "How are we going to get out of this?"

I glanced around at the circle of my friends. Most of their faces were puzzled but Emily's was determined.

Hotch had noticed too. "What are you thinking?"

Emily locked her gaze with Hotch's for a second and then turned to JJ. "Jayje, I lost my gun when I had my accident with the door. Can I borrow yours for just a moment?"

JJ nodded, the scepticism clear on her face. She handed it over and Emily took it in her left hand, checking the clip. She looked up at us and her pinched face broke into a cocky smile. "Don't worry. Stand back."

She walked, almost silently, over to the door and without a backward glance, she slammed her foot against the door, sending it hard against the wall on the other side. There was a huge crack at it hit the wall and Emily, using her left arm to drag up her right, aimed and fired the pistol. The door swung back and she pulled it closed before ducking out of the way.

We all froze and listened carefully. There was an unintelligible shout and then the sound of something falling down the stairs.

Emily grinned at us. She was sky high on the adrenaline and I was glad. God knows how much pain she would've been in had she not been. And if it meant strange mania to get us through to the other side then that was fine.

There was a moment of silence but then bullets started exploding through the closed door. Emily leapt towards me as we all dived out of range. Emily hit the ground beside me and rolled onto her feet. I was up a second after her. I looked around. The majority of the team was climbing back onto their feet. But Hotch was still collapsed on the floor, his hands wrapped around his calf muscle.

"Hotch?" Emily's voice was concerned.

When Hotch looked up, pain was etched across his face. Emily crouched down beside him and pressed her left hand over his. He hissed in pain.

But despite that, Hotch looked up at all of us. "There's still one more out there."

Rossi nodded and cocked his gun. He went to stand next to the door and I followed, flanking the other side. Glancing at Rossi, I gently pushed open the door. Rossi fired immediately and the last man collapsed down the stairs, dead. His neck snapped as he tumbled down. I quickly stepped forward, just to check that he was dead and grim satisfaction set in when I confirmed it.

We were safe. We'd made it with minimal injuries.

"Rossi? Morgan?" It was Emily's voice. It sounded stronger now, less fragile. "Get some paramedics in here!"

"You got it!" I shouted back and pulled out my cell phone. It was okay. We'd made it.


	8. Elle Greenaway

**Author's Note: **Second chapter here today. Please review and I'll try and keep on top of this story. Thank you all if you're still coming back, I'm sorry about my absence.

DISCLAIMER: Nope, nothing is mine.

**Prompt Set: Bonus #12**

Show: Neighbours

Title Challenge: Highway to Elle

**Prompt Set #11**

Show: Zoey 101

Title Challenge: Rumour of Love

Nostalgic Indulgences

It's been a long time since I worked for the BAU. It's been a long time since I saw Agents Gideon, Hotchner, Morgan, Jareau and Doctor Reid. It's been a long time since I shared that world with them. Unfortunately it hasn't been that long since I thought of them. However short my time there was, it was good to have met them and worked with them. They are all good people and I often do wonder how they are. How JJ is, whether Reid can beat Gideon at chess yet, how Hotch and his family are getting on and whether Morgan's found a girl yet, one that he actually wants to be with for more than one night. And I wonder about my replacement. I wonder who they chose to fill the space I'd vacated and whether they were better at the job than me. Well, if they're still there, they did better than me because they haven't snapped and killed someone, whether they deserved to die or not. Because he did deserve to die, the man I killed. And I'm glad I killed him.

But I'm better now. I've been getting better since I left the BAU. Away from all that madness and darkness, I realised that people are good. It's just that in that job, all you see are the bad ones. I moved away, met some nice people, and even had a few short, dead-end relationships. But none of them lasted long. And it wasn't them; it wasn't that they weren't nice guys, it was just that I couldn't be in a relationship, not until I learned to trust people again.

And slowly, that did happen. Spending time in the real world did good for me; it didn't completely erase the horrible things I'd seen, the horrible things I'd seen people do to other people but it did help me to realise that not all people are serial killers, rapists or kidnappers. Some people are just normal people with normal lives, normal jobs and normal families.

I found a guy like that. I'd gone back to being a beat cop – no point in wasting experience – and I was really starting to enjoy the, well, the lack of violence compared to the BAU. And then I met this guy. I'd worked on a fraud case where he had been the victim and as a thank you, he, Jason had asked if he could take me out to dinner. He promised that it was just a thank you, nothing romantic and so on. So I thought: what the hell? And it was nice. He was nice. He told me about his family: he was divorced, had been for almost five years but because his ex-wife had started taking drugs since, he'd got sole custody of their daughter, Matilda. Like the doting parent he obviously was, he showed me a photo of her that he kept in his wallet. She was so cute with big brown eyes and long brown hair and a wide smile. Jason told me that she was eight. He asked about my life before I moved to California but I only told him the bare minimum. I'd left to get away from all of that, I wasn't going to drag it with me.

So I told him that I'd worked in the FBI Behavioural Analysis Unit for a while but had been on leave, injured for a while and left shortly afterwards. I told him that I'd wanted to get back some normality so I'd moved to the other side of the country and taken up a job as a beat cop. We got on well and he was a nice guy. We started going out for a drink every week and dinner every once and a while. We were friends, good friends. We still are.

Maybe one day it will be more. Maybe one day I'll get the happily ever after Dad told me about when I was little. But for now, having Jason as a friend is what I want. I'm glad I left the BAU. I'm glad I got out while I could. And I'd never go back.


	9. Jennifer Jareau

**Author's Note: **I said I'd keep this going! Wooo! After this one, there are five chapters left. We're nearly done. This story, I have to say, was a task to write. But you know, learning curve and all that. Please review and tell me what you think.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing is mine.

**Prompt Set: Bonus #12**

Show: Skins

Title Challenge: JJ

**Prompt Set #5**

Show: Judging Amy

Title Challenge: Human Touch

Personal Connections

I hated the waiting. I always hated the waiting. As much as I don't like the noise and mixed up emotions in a raid, it's better than the what ifs. At least in a raid there's the adrenaline, but sitting still in a vehicle, outside the house we're about to go into is so much worse. Somebody once described it as termites niggling away at your nerves. I can't keep still. I'm shifting in my seat or tapping my fingers or playing with my hair. Except we've been sitting here for almost half an hour now and my tapping and shifting is driving Morgan's nuts so I switched to fiddling with my hair, just for something to keep my hands busy. It used to be just the nervous energy but now, the occasional – well, more than occasional – black thought crosses my mind every time we suit up to leave. It's the idea that one time, we won't be as lucky as we have been, that one day I'll kiss Henry goodbye in the morning and I won't come home to tuck him in at night. So, that's the choice that I wake up to everyday.

Hotch's voice crackled through the radio, making me jump. "On my mark. Everyone check in."

"Morgan."

"Reid."

"Rossi."

"JJ, here." I put in.

"Prentiss, checking in."

I could hear it. I could hear it in everyone's voices. They all wanted to get on with it, get it over with. Emily particularly had been very jittery today. She'd been, not tetchy exactly but tense, slightly more snappish than usual. She'd gone to the locker room to get her vest last of all of us, and Hotch had shared a look with me before following her. When they came back, she was better. Calmer.

"Go, go, go!" Hotch ordered over the radio and we leapt out of the SUV, Morgan slightly ahead of me. We sprinted towards the house, pulling out our guns as we moved. Hotch and Emily were just ahead with Reid and Rossi right behind. As Hotch had instructed earlier, I veered towards the back of the house with Rossi and Reid on my heels.

We ran, half crouched around the house, keeping low so that we wouldn't be seen by any of the men inside. That was the last thing we wanted to happen. If we were seen, we could jeopardize Hotch, Emily and Morgan's chances of taking them by surprise and starting the take-down. And that would be a disaster. When we reached the back door, I let Rossi get in front and he kicked in the door, knocking it almost off its hinges. The three of us slipped inside and the door swung off the wall behind us, closing with a creak.

The kitchen was the clichéd family home. Sideboard cupboards, black and white plastic tiles. I stopped, my weapon dropped slightly. Rossi glanced at me and I raised my eyebrows a little. I stepped forward. And then there was an explosion of sounds from the hallway. Shooting sounds. Then a slam of the door, and a pained scream that echoed through the house. Rossi, Reid and I moved, as one towards the door but were blocked when two men appeared. The taller one raised his gun, aimed and fired at Rossi. He dived out of the way at the last moment and on reflex, I aimed and fired at the first man. Rossi looked up as the guy hit the floor.

But then there was a bang and pain imploded in my shoulder. I felt a scream fall out of my mouth and I felt the ground fall away from me. Distantly, I heard the sound of two more bullets being fired. There was the muffled sound of voices.

I blinked forcefully, pushing away the fog. The world came back into focus.

"Are you okay, JJ?" Rossi's face came into view and for a second, I concentrated.

"Yeah," I nodded, trying to shake off the pain for just long enough. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm okay." Pain was flaming through my shoulder, down my arm and burning my fingers. I sucked in deep breaths, trying to will it down, at least until we got out of here. I looked up, attempting to distract myself and saw that Morgan had entered the room. He smiled at me. There was concern in his eyes.

"Here," Rossi held out his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. I felt a little dizzy and put out my arm to steady myself. It only took a second and I was stable again. I smiled tensely at Rossi, hoping to banish his concern, even only for the time being.

I was about to say something when there was shout from the hallway. The four of us whirled on the spot just as the slam of a door sounded. Morgan streaked through the doorway first, the rest of us right behind him.

Inside, I peered over Morgan's shoulder and saw Hotch and Emily sprawled on the floor. Hotch stood up slowly, as did Emily. But something was wrong. Her skin was too pale and her right elbow was bent out of shape and dripping blood.

"JJ?" Emily's voice was concerned. "Are you okay?" she seemed a little unfocussed, her eyes a little glazed.

"I'll be fine." I nodded. "What happened to you?"

I could see Emily gritting her teeth. "An accident with a door."

A smile tugged at my lips. Only Emily would describe it that way.

"Hotch, duck!"

I glanced up just as Hotch hit the floor instinctively, his reflexes razor sharp. A man with a bloodied nose stood behind him, holding a vase above his head. I assumed that the vase had been about to collide with the back of Hotch's head but thanks to Reid's quick-thinking, Hotch was out of the way. There was a bang from next to my head and the guy hit the ground, the vase smashing on the floor. I shook my head to get rid of the echoes inside my ears.

Hotch looked up at Reid. "Thanks." He was breathless.

Reid smiled at him.

I scanned the room, taking in the faces of every team member. Mostly it was shock commandeering their features. "That's four of them down now."

Hotch breathed in deeply. "Okay. That's two left. How are we going to get out of this?"

Everyone seemed to sink into deep thought. The obvious six against two had to have appeared in everyone's mind but nobody said it, probably because one of those men outside had a machine gun that could take out all of us in one go. No, maybe not the best way to go.

"What are you thinking?" Hotch was asking. I looked up and realised the question had been directed at Emily.

Emily met his eyes for a second and then turned to me. "Jayje, I lost my gun when I had my accident with the door. Can I borrow yours for just a moment?"

I nodded, confused. I handed it over and Emily checked the clip, avoiding the use of her right arm. After a moment she raised her head and looked up at us. Her face split into a grin. I have to say, I was starting to doubt her sanity.

"Don't worry." She sounded bizarrely cheery. "Stand back."

She walked over to the door that presumably lead into the hallway and kicked it open. It swung open and with a slam, hit the wall on the other side. Emily hauled her right arm up with her left, the pain evident on her face and fired the weapon. The door swung back again and she yanked it back so that the latch clicked.

We all froze, listening carefully for any sound that could tell us whether her shot had hit. There was a furious shout and then the sound of something heavy toppling down the stairs. Emily smiled triumphantly.

There was a moment of silence before bullets started coming through the door. I leapt out of the way, onto the ground and the rest of the team did the same. Emily was up again instantly, Morgan right behind her. The rest of us were only seconds later. But then I realised Hotch was still on the ground. And then I saw the blood. His hands were pressed over a wound in his leg, unsuccessfully attempting to stem the blood flow. His face was pale with the pain from it.

"Hotch?" Emily was already crouched at his side. She reached out slowly and pressed her good hand over his. He visibly flinched but didn't push her away.

"There's still one more out there." Hotch forced out.

Dave and Morgan nodded, pulling out their guns. They moved towards the door. I watched Emily and Hotch together. I smiled.

"JJ, are you okay?" I looked up.

Reid stood beside me, his face creased with concern. Truth be told, I was feeling light-headed and my shoulder was burning but I was so relieved. I didn't think I could articulate it. But apparently it showed on my face.

Reid smiled.

There was a shot from behind us. I turned to look.

"Rossi? Morgan?" It was Emily's voice. "Get some paramedics in here!"

"You got it!" Morgan shouted back.

Reid cocked his head as he looked at me. "Shall we?"

I just nodded.


	10. Will LaMontagne

**Author's Note: **Second chapter of the day. Please review :)

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

**Prompt Set: Bonus #12**

Show: Cheers

Title Challenge: Where There's a Will

**Prompt Set #9**

Show: Lost

Title Challenge: Something Nice Back Home

Times Like These

The people on the television were chatting away happily. It looked like a soap opera but I wasn't watching it. I had a feeling that a couple of hours ago I'd been watching one of those rubbish-y crime dramas to chill out but then Henry had woken up and I had spent those couple of hours rocking him back to sleep. It hadn't taken too long and although there was a practical reason for not putting Henry back to bed – the fact that it might wake him up again – I did just enjoy watching my son sleep.

JJ often joked that I slept less hours than she did because of how much I loved to watch Henry's little face screw up as he slept and dreamed. It was the loveliest thing I had ever seen. Silly as it was, I think every guy instantly becomes a softie as soon as he sees his own kid. I think it's something in you. Something that's always been there but only comes out to play when you see your kid.

JJ's the same. She goes all mushy over little Henry as soon as she comes in everyday. She likes to wake him up even though she knows it's not the best thing for him and sometimes she even rings from work to talk sweet-nonsense in his ear. It's cute: seeing her like that. I think it calms her. I think it makes her feel better after all the dark and evil things she sees every day. Sometimes she calls at late at night if she's away or just staying late at work and her voice sounds so far away. She'll say something like: "would you mind waking him up for me? I just really need to talk to him tonight." and I press the phone to Henry's ear so that he can feel and hear the love pouring out of the phone from his mother.

Sometimes she needs that. I sometimes wonder where she'd be without him or me. That's not meant to sound conceited or nothing but I reckon if I didn't call her every day to check that she was okay and if she didn't have Henry to come home to, I reckon she'd burn out sooner rather than later. Like all of 'em.

I know JJ worries about her team. I know she worries that one day, her whole team is going to fall apart, as one or member by member. I think she's worried that if they all don't find something important to live for – something good – then maybe they won't be so careful and maybe one of them will get hurt. I don't know if she consciously knows that she worried about this or if it's just a little nervous tick that goes inside her, twenty-four seven.

Every day, I get the feeling that maybe she won't come home. Every single day. And that scares me. But I know I could never ask to leave her job. It's part of her now, like being a mom to Henry is. But it still frightens me. The waiting. The idea that one day, I'll just be left waiting for her for the rest of my life.

The ringing phone interrupts my thoughts. The moment of truth, the one I get every night. Is she ringing to tell me she's okay and to ask to talk to Henry or is someone else calling me, to tell me that my life has just fallen apart?


End file.
